Working session on Humanitarian Access
The delivery of aid has however become increasingly constrained. People in more than 80 countries are not receiving essential humanitarian assistance like shelter, clean drinking water and health care because of access constraints. However, humanitarian access is a precondition for humanitarian assistance; we need access to deliver impartial and effective assistance.
Although access constraints have always existed, the scale and reach of humanitarian programs has increased over time, including work in new areas and new types of programming. Increased access challenges are inevitable, there are multiple reasons for that.
Factors that are leading to poor access to/for people in need are for instance the increasingly complexity of armed conflict, legal and political constraints, counterterrorism measures, legislation and sanctions. If we do not address these challenges, humanitarians cannot save lives or alleviate suffering and cannot deliver impartial assistance in a way that is safe, dignified and inclusive. Poor access is therefore not an option, change is needed and these challenges must be addressed.
- Sam Duerden, Director Humanitarian Action IRC
- Roger Gutierrez Salgado, Humanitarian Access Advisor MSF
KUNO welcomes other participants to present complex access-cases (perhaps Burkina Faso, Afghanistan, Somalia) and the approaches they use. This will be followed by an exchange to learn from each other’s approaches. This will be followed by an exchange to learn from each other’s approaches
Interested in learning more about this session? Read a summary report here.
